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| Broccoli Patch |
Broccoli is considered a cool weather crop where I am, but, the broccoli plants are continuing to thrive. I am planning to harvest some of the leaves and make some mallung (cooked shredded greens) later this week.
Tuesday's big accomplishment was washing the slip covers on the second sofa in the family room. The covers have to air dry; I covered the sofa with an old bedsheet until the covers dried. In addition to washing them, I accomplished all the other things on my To Do list - dusted the family room and my bedroom, put away the dried laundry from Monday, tidied one shelf in the linen closet, tidied one kitchen cabinet, watered two houseplants, brought in the trash cans, cleaned the litter box, and called the doctor's office to find out about the scan results and left a message. If I don't hear from them by the end of the day on Thursday, I will call again on Friday.
In between, I watched some TV, watched a few videos, played some sudoku, exchanged emails with a friend, chatted with friend R, and video chatted with my daughter.
Today, I am grateful for:
- Working appliances
- Being able to do things by myself
- Interesting programs to watch on TV
- Easy meals
- What I was able to accomplish
Today's joyful activity was watching the butterflies in my garden. There were so many of them, today!
Plans for tomorrow include:
- Putting the sofa covers back on
- Vacuuming
- Tending to the garden with M
How was your Tuesday? What are your plans for Wednesday?
Do you have problems with cabbage butterflies which lay eggs on cruciferous veggies? The subsequent worms devour the plants. They show up here when the weather is warmer and I've just seen them this week. I have my plants covered with cloth, but they still manage to get in. Luckily, I harvested two heads of broccoli and a head of cabbage before they showed up. We see what happens with the rest of the plants.
ReplyDeleteI have been seeing several white cabbage butterflies fluttering around the broccoli plants, recently. In fact, they were flying all around me, today, when I picked some broccoli! But, I haven't seen any worms, yet. I've picked quite a bit of broccoli so far, so it's OK with me if the butterflies lay their eggs on the plants, now. If I want butterflies in the garden to help pollinate my fruits and vegetables, I need to provide them with some host plants for their young; the mockingbirds will be happy to feed off some of the caterpillars and worms, too. It's a whole eco-system out there! :D
DeleteWe eat a lot of broccoli both cooked & raw; I wonder how easy it would be to grow in my garden. I am envious that your broccoli look so healthy. When you said butterflies in your garden, I quickly thought of the cabbage butterfly but no it's broccoli you have (col).
ReplyDeleteI would think that broccoli would grow well in your garden, Mary-Lou. You might have to buy some plants as starts, unless you are able to sprout seeds in a protected area like a greenhouse or garage. Well, cabbage butterflies are not averse to broccoli! They are swarming all over my plants, right now! :D But, I've already harvested the majority of my broccoli and although I plan to harvest some of the leaves, I'll share the rest with their young! As I stated in my response to Live and Learn's comment, above, if I expect to have butterflies in my garden to help with pollinating, it is only fair that I provide them with some host plants for their young! :)
DeleteYou seem to accomplish so much in a day, Bless, you put me to shame!
ReplyDeleteDo you know, I feel that we waste so much by forgetting to pick and eat the leaves of things like broccoli and sprout plants from the allotment. I've been making more of an effort lately and using them shredded in a stir fry or something. I need to try harder! ;)
I think, if you keep track of all you do in a day, Pensive, you will realize that you, too, accomplish quite a lot! I started keeping track of what I do because I have a tendency to say, "Oh, I didn't do anything much, today" and feel I wasted the day.
DeleteAs for eating the leaves of certain plants, I want to make full use of any plant I grow to make it worth the money I spend on watering and fertilizing, etc. :) Broccoli leaves, etc., can be added to soups, stews, or just cooked on their own as a leafy green. :)
You've tired me out reading all that you achieved. Well done. I, on the other hand, did very little today. It's too hot for me (23°C) so I have stayed in the cool of the living room and watched the tennis. The icing on the cake was a very successful piano lesson 😊
ReplyDeleteOops! Sorry to tire you out, Eileen! :D Well done on the successful piano lesson! I haven't done much, yet, this morning - picked some more broccoli and chilies, blanched and froze the broccoli, and chatted with M who is here tending to the garden. It is 32C (90F) here, right now and I expect it to go up a little more later in the afternoon! Very comfortable for me. :D
DeleteI planted flowers and herbs yesterday, in the patio pots. I think that will be all I plant this summer. We are off to the vet this afternoon for Vivian s annual checkup. I will sneak her carrier upstairs from the basement. If she sees it, I'll not find her again until evening! She can hide in the tiniest space. I hope you have a good day!
ReplyDeleteOh, what kinds of flowers and herbs? I've not had much luck growing herbs, other than rosemary! I've killed mint, basil, parsley, oregano, etc.!
DeleteI hope you were able to get Vivian into her carrier and had a successful trip to the vet's! Dancer hates being in the carrier and will protest loudly all the way to the vet's and back!
I hope you receive your scan results soon, not knowing is the hard part and they do keep you in suspense. I do love seeing butterflies aren't they lovely.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Eileen; I hope the scan results will be good! I hope your medical tests went well, too, and the results are good.
DeleteI love seeing butterflies. I'm not very good at identifying them, though.
Well, given that the plants still look healthy and are producing, why on Earth dig them up after the main head has been used? I hope you enjoy the leaves and whatever further florettes you may receive!
ReplyDeleteMy thoughts, exactly, Lady Ella. I picked more side shoots, today, and blanched and froze them. :)
DeleteYou've been busy. We seem to have mainly swallowtail butterflies although I did see a Monarch today so I guess we will soon be seeing those black and white caterpillars on the milkweed plants.
ReplyDeleteI've been taking it easy, doing paperwork, taking a stroll around the yard and up the road to the mailbox. I was still tired today, but I guess that will change soon.
I guess the monarchs are migrating. I have a swallowtail that visits the garden almost daily and, yesterday, I saw a really bright yellow butterfly.
DeleteI'm glad you are taking it easy and resting. It takes a few days for the tiredness to go away. Is your arm still sore?
Broccoli is my favourite vegetable :) I hope you don't need to wait too much longer for your scan results. Xx
ReplyDeleteIt's one of my favorites, too, Jules. Thank you; still waiting to hear the scan results. :)
DeleteThe broccoli looks so beautiful. You have a real knack with them!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Lyssa; my gardener M deserves most of the credit! :)
DeleteYour business continues. I like your "one shelf, one cabinet" pace.
ReplyDeleteIt all adds up to getting things done.
That's been my approach in the yard this year. Everyday I work out there for around an hour. Sometimes less, sometimes more.
It's amazing what a difference the small bite approach has made to the condition of my yard and to my state of mind about the effort it all takes.
Baby steps! It's an approach that works; it takes time, but, it doesn't become overwhelming. You can always do one more flower bed or cabinet or shelf if you feel up to it. :)
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